I Am Emma Swan
Chapter 15
Archie called the lead detective on the murdered woman case to update her after listening to Regina's voice message. Of course, when he called, he only got her voice mail.
"Detective West, I have some news about Emma Swan. I know where she is, and I think she's in trouble as well as Judith Spencer Cassidy the woman who hired me to find Emma. I know it's late but I'm on my way back to the station now."
Archie quickly showered, changed his clothes, and made his way down the corridor of the hotel and waited for the elevator to arrive. When the door opened a man wearing a baseball hat moved to one side to let Archie in. Archie thought the man was going to get off on that floor but didn't. Archie pushed the main floor button and straightened up a couple of feet from the man. He ignored the man and started to type a text to Regina that he was on his way and then sent another to West and her partner Detective Maleficent Dracona. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened Archie walked out and towards the doors of the hotel, the man following behind.
Detective Zelena West was about to go home after a meeting with another detective to get some sleep; she'd been nonstop on this murder case for weeks but before she left, she stupidly checked her messages and heard Archie Hopper was on his way back with new information. She waited and waited
but he never showed. She called him back but no answer. She texted her partner who was lucky and was able to sneak off earlier and she too had received a text about the Swan woman and his return to the department.
Finding it odd that he said he'd be back to see her and not show, West drove over to the hotel he was staying and checked with the night auditor after showing her badge. The auditor informed the detective that she saw Mr. Hopper and another man leave almost 45 mins prior.
"Did it seem as if they were together? Do you know who the other man was?" Detective West asked pulling out her notebook and a pen.
"I don't think they were together; the other man was a couple of steps behind I guess, and I've never seen him before either but I do work nights so he could be a guest here."
"Do you have security cameras in the lobby and in the parking lot?"
"Yes, we do, I can call security for you."
"You do that and ask them to pull up the footage from the time you saw Mr. Hopper leave. I want to check for his car, was he assigned a specific parking space?"
"He was, in the back space number 21."
"Thank you, I'll be back in a few minutes."
Zelena walked out the door and went to the parking lot behind the hotel and checked the parking spots and came to number 21 and a car was parked there. West checked the driver's door; it was unlocked, and she reached over and opened the glove compartment and found the registration which belonged to Archie Hopper.
She got out of the car and did a walk around when her foot hit something. She bent down and found a cell phone. She used her pen to pull the phone out from under the car and put on gloves before picking it up. The screen was cracked but it turned on and it still worked. She pulled out her own phone and called Hopper's and the cracked one rang.
"Well, this isn't good." West said to herself. She called her partner as she walked back to the hotel auditor and the security guard who was waiting for her.
"Hey Mal, I think something happened to Hopper get down to the Hampton on Massachusetts Ave. I'm going to check the security cameras."
"Hi, I'm Detective West from Boston police," Zelena began holding out her ID badge. "Can you show me the footage of the lobby and the parking lot in back?"
"I Sure can Ma'am right this way." The older security officer replied and escorted her to the security office. Sitting down he pulled up the footage from an hour earlier.
"Okay, this is where Mr. Hopper and another gentleman walked off the elevator."
"Can you get a closer look at this man?"
"I can zoom it a small bit but not a lot." The security guard answered.
"Great, can you send me a screen shot of him?"
"Sure can."
"Now, can you show me when they left the lobby and which way they went?"
The security guard did as the detective asked, showing Archie walking back towards his car and looking down at his phone. The other man was still behind him but catching up to him quickly. They watched as the man pushed and punched Archie until he was knocked down on the ground and then the unknown man opened the trunk to the car next to Archie's and put him in.
"Shit, can you send this to me and what about the license plate?"
"I'll do my best, I'm so sorry, I should have been watching the screens I must have been on break…I…I should have caught this."
There was a knock on the door then Detective Dracon walked in. "What's happening?"
"Hopper has been abducted."
"Stay still you bitch," Neal said to Regina holding her with his arm around her neck and a gun to her side. "Emma, I'll kill her if you don't get back here."
Emma stopped in her tracks, closed her eyes, and took a breath. Opening her eyes, she saw a very frightened Henry looking past her hoping his mother would get away from the man. "Henry, you need to get out of here and get help, okay? I'm going back with your mom and Neal, but you need to get out of here. Do you understand me?" Emma whispered to the boy.
"Y... yes. Don't let him hurt her or you. I'll get help!"
"I'll keep her safe, now get going." Emma promised nudging the boy to continue down the passageway.
"Emma, I'll kill her, don't think I won't." Neal warned then squeezed his arm tighter around Regina's neck making her cry out.
"I'm coming back, don't hurt her." Emma replied and stepped through the opening from the wardrobe.
"Where's the kid?"
Emma didn't reply to the man just shrugged her shoulders as she kept an eye on Regina.
"It doesn't matter, my guy is on the beach waiting for him. He won't get away." Neal said with a smirk and an extra squeeze to Regina's neck.
"Stop hurting her, I'll do what you want just let her go."
"Oh, you'll be doing what I want but I'm sure as hell not letting her go." Neal sneered tugging the woman away from the wardrobe. "Stand over there by the bed now!"
Emma moved to the bed and Neal pushed Regina towards Emma pointing his gun at the women. "Now stay there or I'll shoot you both."
With his other hand he made a call. "Mother, come up to Emma's room now!"
Neal began to pace keeping an eye on both women until his mother came into the room.
"Neal, what's going on and what is that real estate woman doing here?"
"Real estate? Are you fucking kidding me? This is the woman who claimed to be the real estate agent? She's fucking Regina Mills, the writer, Mother and she and her son have fucked everything up!"
"Neal, please calm down take a breath, have you taken your medication today?"
"Shut up Mother! Don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you? She's the mother of that kid, they know the real Judith! I caught them trying to escape!" Neal yelled waving the gun as he spoke.
"Neal, please calm down, we'll think of something just put the gun away and calm down."
"How can I be calm? Everything we've gone through; all of our hard work is gone to shit!" the irate man snapped.
"NEAL! Enough! Stop waving that gun and be quiet I don't want anyone else to hear you. Now how did she get in here?"
"Through there." Neal pointed at the opening behind the wardrobe. "The kid was with them, but Hatt is waiting for him at the end of the tunnel."
"Okay good, now let's move these two to another room while we think about what our next move is."
Neal motioned with his gun for the two women to walk towards the door, pushing Emma out and grabbing Regina by the arm. "Don't try anything or Hatt will kill your kid."
The four walked down the hallway to a door, Neal opened it and shoved Regina in a storage room and then pushed Emma in as well. "You two are going to stay here and not say a word or the kid is dead, you got that?"
Both women replied with a yes. Eugenia shut the door and locked it. Regina started to cry worried about Henry hoping that he didn't get caught.
Jefferson Hatt was staring out at the water; his man sent a message earlier that Hopper was being dealt with so one down and one kid to go. Cassidy had texted him to wait there because the kid was coming out that way. But it's been quite some time now maybe the kid was hiding. Hatt wasn't sure where he would be coming out from, so he started to check around the larger rocks for an opening.
Henry almost ran out but caught a glimpse of a man standing looking at the ocean. There was no way he could sneak past him, so he turned around and went back up the passageway but turned down a different path from the one he usually took. He knew he couldn't go back to Judith's room now, so he had to find another way out unfortunately he'll have to go through the house to do so.
"I can't believe this! How did this happen Neal?"
"How the hell should I know? I told you that kid would cause trouble! I hope Hatt kills him nice and slow."
"We need to concentrate; we need Emma to sign that will Neal."
"I know! I know that Mother. Look, the drugs won't be needed now, she'll do as we say because of the Mills woman and the kid. She'll pretend to be Judith; she'll sign the papers and then we'll kill them all."
"This is not what we had planned, it wasn't supposed to be this way."
"We can't go back now; it is what it is. Emma will meet with Gold; sign the will and we'll get rid of them. Call him, call Gold now and get him here right away, this ends today."
